The Price of Knowledge
by Cure
Summary: Rufus Kalliem simply wanted to study the stars. So when the stars began to fall from the sky it causes both a political and religious upheaval. Nothing will ever be the same again.
1. Observation

Chapter One: Observation

The aging Professor Rufus Kalliem stroked his grey beard as he wondered what marvels the heavens would reveal tonight. It was fine for the middle of summer. The weather was mild; the crops were doing well. All blossomed in the kingdom of Hyrule. However, Rufus did not take abode in Hyrule. Not anymore. In his youth, he was ambitious, adventurous even. But as he aged, he found he preferred peace and solitude more often. He still had an older cousin in town, which usually told stories at the local inn and bar for a few rupees a day. No, Rufus thought. That was not for him.

He lived comfortably enough. His home was a wide short tower with a dome for a roof. An observatory, he called it. Where he could observe things, preferably the stars. For studying the stars, he had a telescope of magnificent proportions. It was huge, poking out from the domed roof, it's lens eyeing the skies with wonder.

For Rufus, it was perfect. He had, in fact, invented, or at least improved upon it. He had gotten a blueprint sketch for it out of the hands of the Skull Kids. With that, he had also gotten some sort of "picture taker" whatever that was. The Skull Kids claimed it came from some other world named Termina. Rufus scoffed. There was no such kingdom in the entire known world.

However the prints interested him greatly, so, for a price, he had bought them off the little forest devils. What the Skull Kids were doing so far from the Lost Woods, he would never know. All he knew is that he had something of great worth that could revolutionize the kingdom. He improved on the designs, constructed small prototypes and presented them to the old king. They fascinated the late King of Hyrule, however, sadly, only the telescope was made. The new Queen had indeed, like the 'Picto Box' just as much, having the right mind to make a few. It didn't go well with the religious fanatics and nobles of the kingdom, and the idea was thrown out. But, Rufus managed to obtain and renovate an old fortress in the northern mountains as payment for the designs. Thus his observatory of the stars was born.

Of course that was well over twenty years ago since he had received his payment from the king, and two years ago since the new Queen had liked the Picto Box. Rufus was middle-aged then and old in the counting of the years now. His hair was long, withered and grey. His blue eyes were still as bright as ever, but they were surrounded in a sea of wrinkles that consumed his face. He seemed to have shrunken since the days of his youth. He did not slouch, but things seemed to get bigger every day. He wore faded red robes and an old red cloth cap. It may not have been much attire, but it suited the old Professor.

So now, like every night, he struggled to climb the stairs. They simply gradually wrapped around the circular walls, ascending to the observatory itself. But old age and creaky joints simply made the journey harder. But, as always, he eventually made his way into the tall round room and settled himself into the chair in the center.

The observatory was an engineering marvel by normal Hyrulian standards. The floor around the chair and telescope could rotate along with the domed roof. To some, it was dark magic, and that is why it never received many visitors. No one wished to unravel the mysteries the heavens held, they only wished to worship, not understand.

Next to the chair on it's left side was a large box that controlled everything in the observatory. It was made of stone and wood, and now it even had a new feature. Rufus had combined it with the Picto Box so he could take pictures through what he saw in the telescope. Most pictures appeared blurry and the images distorted, but Rufus refused to give up. Stubborn always comes with old age.

The telescope was propped up with pillars melded into the floor. It was made of shiny metal, and glass for its lens. It was biggest at its far end and gradually got narrower as it came into the peepholes Rufus had made to see. At first, combined with the immensity of the telescope and complicated panel of controls next to him, Rufus was clumsy, slow. But now, if a star fell across the sky, Rufus could nimbly follow its path. He had practiced much since his first time with it twenty years ago.

In fact, falling stars were precisely why Rufus had stayed up so late. The sun was ready to rise over the eastern skies, but, according to his calculations, many stars were scheduled to fall before this happened. They were due to fall over the southern skies any moment now. Rufus, zoomed fully out, and was ready to adjust the telescope at a moments notice.

He didn't have to wait long. Bright balls of light streaked across the sky: first slowly, then rapidly in many numbers. Rufus chuckled softly as he pulled the level to take a picture. _Nine left,_ he noted to himself. Although the original plans for the Box had only storage for three, Rufus had managed to up that number by seven, so it now could store ten.

The old professor snapped happily away seven more times. It was a wondrous sight to get captured forever in a picture. He was about to stop and take some notes, when something out of the ordinary happened. There was a series of incredibly bright flashes coming from the stars. Rufus frowned. This should not have been happening.

But then it stopped, and there were several new balls of light getting bigger all the time. Dawn was just about to break, which was a pity. Perhaps this was how stars were formed? It was a theory… but… wait a moment. Now they were descending. Stars did not descend! Only the might heart of Din, the Sun, and the heart of Naryu, the Moon, rose and fell daily. But now stars did it as well?

A pang of fear struck the astronomer. Perhaps they were actually falling. Falling into the very ground! Yes, that seemed to be what they were doing. It had to be. Rufus made a few mental calculations. If they continued going at the speed and direction they were, they may crash into thecastle, or Death Mountain!

This was big, far bigger then the old scholar originally thought. The castle and Her Highness were at stake! Not to mention what a star could do as it crashed into the earth. Rufus shuddered. He had better get going, yes, best to warn the Queen of this sign. It certainly couldn't have been a sign of the goddesses, for they would not wreak such a thing if his predictions proved true.

The old man hurried from the observatory, threw his dark blue cloak around him and hurried to his steed in the one-horse stable. It was a difficult journey going down from the mountains. Even more so at the speed he wanted. Nonetheless, something big was going to happen. And Professor Rufus Kalliem hoped it would not shake the very kingdom to its foundations.


	2. Impact

Chapter Two: Impact

The cuccos crowed daylight broke over the eastern walls of Lon Lon Ranch. Hues of pastel melded into the sky, making a lovely color for the morning. The door to the farmhouse opened, and out stepped a young woman with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes.

Malon yawned. She hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. An uneasy feeling plagued her, like something was happening that shouldn't happen. But, she shook it off. There were chores to be done. The cows needed let out to be grazed, and the horses fed and exercised. It certainly wasn't going to get done by itself.

Malon lazily walked over to the stables. She reached for the knob, but stopped. There was a faint hissing sound coming from over the field. She looked, but there was nothing there that could hiss. No cat, or insect, or other beast. In fact it was completely empty at all. Malon scratched her head. Maybe she was just hearing things, but it was still there.

Then, something exploded in the southern tower. Or more specifically, something crashed through it. It reeked of heat and flame, a stench Malon was not familiar with. The thing itself was a great ball, streaming down towards the ground. Malon did not get a good look at it, for she covered her eyes as it hit the ground.

To put it in the most literalistic sense, thing, whatever it was, exploded. Lucky for Malon the force of it was contained mostly within the iron fence that ran around the field. That couldn't stop a heated wind from thrashing over the farmwoman, knocking her on her bum.

She shook her head. The wind had picked up some light dirt and sand. Now her hair would feel gritty all day. She groaned. There was nothing she could do. Malon crept slowly towards the fenced field to look at what had fallen. Whatever it was, it giving off smoke like crazy, making it difficult to make out. An eastern wind soon blew it all away and Malon was left looking upon the fallen.

That was it. It was all but a black rock streaming and hissing ever so slightly. It was of good size, twice the size of her head. But she was more distressed over what the black rock from the sky had caused. Nearly all the land that was fenced in was sunken into a crater. It would take weeks, perhaps months to fill it in. That wasn't counting what they would fill it in with.

Malon put the thought of the land damage from her mind at the moment, and favored to run back to the farmhouse and tell her father what happened instead. Surely something like this, utterly fantastic, was worth telling the Queen? Perhaps she would have an idea on what to do.

* * *

Cecil could breath a sigh of relief. The night shift of watching the walls from the parapet was almost over. The sun was already creeping in the east. Once Captain Holt came and relieved him of duty, he was going straight to the barracks, take off his armor, and have nice long, deserved slumber. Of course it was sleeping on the job that had 'granted' him the night watch. Holt was a very strict commanding officer. 

What was he thinking, joining the army? Low wages, long hours, and uncomfortable conditions. That was all he could look forward too. The conditions were become even more unfavorable if war was declared, which it probably wouldn't. Hyrule was secluded from the rest of the world. And monsters had vanished from the land altogether. Which may have made Cecil's job easier, but it was still boring.

He was still young in the count of years, not yet grown in full strength or height. With no beard growing, brown unkempt hair and pair of brown eyes. If anything, everyone still referred to him as a teenager. Even though he had past his teen years over five years ago.

"Cecil! Look alive!" muttered a guard next to him. "Here comes hell-borne Holt!"

Cecil glanced frantically. Indeed, there was large captain, making his way up the stairs to the parapet. The low-ranked solider quickly snapped at attention and made himself look presentable in the best way he could.

Captain Phineas Holt was not a man to be taken lightly. He was tall, tall and large. With a great black beard and a baldhead, he usually strided among the troops during the course of a day decked out in full armor. How he had the time no one knew, one thing all the troops did know, was not Holt was impeccably strict. He wielded a gigantic sword on his back, usually threatening unruly men to a duel and beating with the giant's blade. Most of them shut up after that. However, that wasn't the only form of punishment. Usually it varied from cooking the rations for the week to scrubbing every inch of the parapet with nothing but a small brush.

However today Captain Holt was not in full battle armor, only a light chain mail, a long, wide-sleeved shirt and pants, with a blue cape tied around his neck. He had forgone his monster of a sword, for a smaller, ceremonial long sword. Cecil and the other men on the parapet sighed in relief. This could only mean one thing: the monthly meetings of court and kingdom in the castle with the other military advisors and other members of the Queen's council. Holt would be in good spirits today, for the Queen would often let him sample the vast wine stores in the castle. Today was going to be easy-going.

"It's a fair morning men! Why the long faces?" Captain Holt laughed.

The troops groaned. Captain Holt as peppy was tiring on the nerves were bad jokes and puns.

"Well, you pulled in a great night. The usual boys were sure thankful for a night off. Be a dear and goof off again for them eh?" The joyful Captain clapped Cecil and the solider next to him on the backs. "Well Cecil, Lawrence, let's hope you've learned to not to screw off on duty? That goes for the rest of you too you know!"

More groans from the troops. They were cut short by the replacement troops for the morning climbing to the parapet.

"Well soldiers, dismissed. Your replacements have arrived. Good day." And the Captain was off, ushering the morning shift guards up the parapet, making sure everything was in order.

For Cecil and his dark-haired friend, Lawrence, they were only too glad to get away.

"Ugh," said Cecil, taking off his helm. "I cannot wait to get in bed."

"Aye," agreed Lawrence. "I could do with a spell myself."

They walked in silence back to their respective quarters. Cecil had his armor off in record time, stowing it in a trunk at the foot of his bed, and plopped down to sleep, relishing the silence of the early morning hours. A silence that shattered seconds later.

"Captain! Incoming!" a solider shouted.

"What is that thing?" the Captain's voice rang out. "Off the wall! Everyone off the-,"

A mighty explosion cut him off. Something whistled on overhead, over the garrison in front of Castle Town, and into the second wall.

"Here comes more!"

Cecil leaped out of bed, and ran out onto the garrison field. A large chunk of rock had been blasted out of the parapet. Whatever it was, it had landed over by the second wall near town. Cecil could see it smoking from the soldiers' quarters.

More came. Giant fireballs that arced high overhead, some smashed into the ground with terrifying force, others went on, on to hit high buildings within Castle Town and some went farther. It was pure chaos unclad soldiers scurried everywhere, fire sprouting up. It was difficult to make sense of it all.

* * *

Queen Zelda was backed against the throne room wall, surrounded by a ring of elite guards. Once the entire affair had started, she had been engulfed in a sea of guards. And of course, as usual, no one would tell her what was happening. Zelda crossed her arms and sighed. It was difficult being Hyrule's first female ruler.

* * *

All the meanwhile the great black stones, alit with flame and hell, continued to pummel the land below. Less then half-dozen of the shots had fallen, but already it had caused a great stir. One, higher then the rest flew past the walls, garrison and town, making its way unhindered to the castle. There it smashed and exploded into one of the high towers. The tower crumbled and stone and brick fell to the ground in a heap.

* * *

Cecil wasn't entirely sure when it stopped. Men were still yelling, fires needed to be put out. He joined the rest of the troops in a bucket line to put out the flames. He hardly noticed that the explosions and fireballs had ceased, let alone that there was no invading army. So what was going on? The answer, unfortunately for Cecil, was far away, old and withered, making his way down the slopes of the mountains and would not arrive for some time. 


	3. Debate

Chapter Three: Debate

There was a great buzz of noise in the main foyer of Hyrule Castle. They were messengers, sent from their respective fiefs to Her Majesty, the Queen, to bring tidings of the falling rocks, and hopefully, bring tidings back on what they were all about. The guards ushered in new messengers, as early as a few hours after the incident. From there they were told to wait, from a few minutes to a few hours, until the Queen would see them. There were at least a few scores of them, most from the areas around the castle, hardly any from south of the Ranch.

Queen Zelda sat in the throne room, listening to the messengers and responding best she could. She sat on the throne, which was on a high dais, in a seat of plush purple velvet. She wore her regal dress, and a gold circlet upon her head, instead of the usual monarch crown. She was thoroughly bored with meeting with heralds, having done it since the day before, and their stories being all the same. Great balls of fire and rock raining down from the sky, why, who, when, how? Zelda's only consolation was that Veruga has not spoken up in some time.

Oliman Veruga was seated to Zelda's left. He was a middle-aged man, with streaks of grey running through his long hair and beard. He wore a fine linen blue tunic and brown leggings, with a deep red cape running down his back. His expression was grim, stern, stoic, as he usually was. Veruga had a tendency to speak aloud his opinions, which usually clashed with Zelda's. He was a firm believer in a male ruler, and a constant opposer to Zelda's overall reign. Seated to his left were three more members of the monarch's cabinet, and as such there were four more members on the other side.

"And so, when the great rocks of fire came down upon the mountain, it crashed into our vital stores of food," said the current messenger, a short stocky Goron who had come from Death Mountain. "Made the entire cave explode, and the city collapse. If it were not for good old fashioned Goron ingenuity, well, most Gorons would be dead right now. So, Your Majesty, what word can I bring back to Daruina of this cataclysm?"

"Well, honestly, I don't see how it could make it explode nearly all of Goron City. According to what you've said, the city was a mile away from the impact site," Zelda replied.

"Well, you see milady, it hit our valued stores of salt-,"

"You know Your Majesty," Veruga interrupted in a cynical tone. "It might be best if you go examine the sites yourself, get a bit of first hand knowledge yourself you know."

"We've been over this Veruga," sighed Zelda. "I cannot leave the castle until every messenger bearing a message, or awaiting a message is account and answered."

"Ah, but that is why,"

"Veruga, please!" whispered Sebastian, a short balding man that sat on Zelda's other side. "The Queen needs to do her duty, and right now that is to hold an audience with the messengers. So if you would please keep quiet for just a few more minutes…"

Zelda sighed. "Messenger, you are free to go."

The Goron bowed. "Thank you milady." He retreated out of the throne room.

"Your Majesty that was the last of the messengers bringing tidings of falling fire rocks. The rest are here simply to know what all the calamity is about."

Zelda nodded. "I will see no more messengers today, give them food, and tell them they will get an answer by the time the cabinet meeting is done with." She stood up.

"Cabinet meeting?" Veruga raised one of his eyebrows. "I thought it wasn't supposed to be until tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is here Veruga, we must debate what to do about these strange events now." Zelda replied.

* * *

The cabinet chambers were in the heart of the castle keep in a room above the throne room. They could only be accessed via a stairwell hidden under one of the throne room's tapestries. During times of cabinet meetings, guards were extra alert, with patrols stalking the battlements, corridors and courtyard. During the proceeding, the cabinet was not to be disturbed in anyway. Anyone who spied on a cabinet meeting was considered as doing the act of treason, and was tried by a court made up of the cabinet itself, and usually hanged. No one had tried it during Zelda's reign, but there had been a number of Gerudo spies during her father's. She could only hope that there would be no attempts. 

The cabinet room was a long, wide room with a long oak table in the center. There were at least a dozen chairs on either side, and one large chair at the end. Behind the head of the table, which was where the current monarch of the kingdom sat, there was a stain glass window depicting the Triforce, a symbol that had been in use by the Royal Family for many years.

The members of the cabinet filed into the room one by one and took their seats. Lower officers came in first, with Zelda coming in last. Everyone sat down when the Queen sat down, and then the deliberations could begin.

"Well, we appear to have sort of little crisis on our hands," Zelda began. "Two nights ago, several strange objects fell from the sky. We do not know what they were, they're purpose for coming here, or being sent here, and there has been a little uproar in the fiefs. Apprentice Magister Tifen, have you managed to scrounge up enough information about the rocks to give us a little report?"

Tifen, apprentice to the Magister Sebastian, was a very nervous little fellow. He was a very small man with brown hair, who at times look liked a child. He often stumbled through his words when asked to read any of his work aloud. He did of course where the blue robes of a Magister, blue representing Naryu's color and power; wisdom. He had yet to earn the golden sash of a Magister, and probably would not do so until Sebastian, who was indeed starting to get on in years, had resigned or died.

"W-W-Well Your Majesty, we have found that the rocks, um, appear to be made of uh, quite… normal components." Tifen said all of this quite slowly.

"Like what?"

"Well, Magister Sebastian and I have determined that it is made of very stony materials, but it does hold… some iron."

"Iron? The rocks hold some iron?" Zelda asked.

"Yes, but only some of the smaller ones, which are primarily made of it, but even still it numbers in few compared to the stony ones that fell. The Magister and I have uh, ridden to the Ranch south of here, and… managed to examine the one there."

"All in all Your Majesty," Magister Sebastian butted in, much to Tifen's relief. "We have found little iron at all in them. But somehow it is mostly made up of rock, much like that found on Death Mountain."

"But how does stone just explode?" Zelda said. "It doesn't make sense. Perhaps it was some sort of bomb flower missile?"

"Your Majesty, I have examined the rocks, and taken it to some bomb experts in the town, they see nothing left from the explosion that could have come from the bomb flowers." Sebastian explained. "We have sent samples to the Gorons for absolute verification of this, but we can guess the results will be the same. Nothing we know caused this."

"Thank you," said Zelda. "To the both of you. Oh, and remember to find something to call them. Does anyone have any ideas on where they might have come from? Could any sorcerer conjure this? Any foreign enemies?"

"Well perhaps if we do Queen," Veruga said flauntingly. "Or perhaps the very gods themselves perceive you to be a weak ruler, seeing you aren't male."

"That's enough with those comments Veruga," Sebastian snapped. "I see you still retains some boldness from your days as a soldier."

"I see nothing wrong with it. It is my opinion, and that is my job in these meetings, to give my opinion on kingdom matters."

"The job of the cabinet is to _advise_ the current ruler on matters of state, and make sure he does nothing foolish. Regardless of gender."

"Besides Veruga," Zelda added. "I'm sure the _goddesses _are happy that a female finally has the chance to rule. Because they are female."

"Well, I think," Veruga started.

"Veruga, I did not request what you think, I merely want to get through this session," said Zelda, breaking up the argument. "Now Sebastian, Tifen, when are you planning on examining each site of impact? They seem to be mostly scattered around the northern half of the kingdom. Buch, where are the exact locations?"

Buch, the Royal Scribe, unrolled a piece of long parchment, and quickly skimmer through it. "At the very least half a dozen. The major locations are on Death Mountain, Zora's River, the Gerudo's Fortress and the Ranch."

"You know Queen," Veruga spoke up, saying the last word sarcastically. "It would be good for you to examine each site yourself. Show a little initiative and interest in kingdom affairs."

"Well, Veruga," Zelda replied. "If you are so eager for me to get out of the castle and see the impact sites, why don't you do it yourself? I mean it Veruga; I'm not being sarcastic. You have the sanction of the Royal Family to hereby examine each site, and come back in a month ready with a full report."

Veruga was surprised at this. "Oh? And what shall I put in the report?"

"Anything you deem important enough."

They looked each other square in the eye for a full minute. "Very well Your Majesty," Veruga said slowly, breaking the silence. "I shall leave this very second. Yes, I shall fetch my blade, saddle my horse, get some men to come along, yes I shall leave right now, Queen." He quietly excused himself from the meeting and walked back down to the throne room.

When his footsteps had faded, and he was far out of earshot, Buch spoke. "Why do we keep him around again?"

"He is very well loved by the people," answered Zelda, staring at the stairwell. "Veruga is a hero from the war that took place almost twenty years ago. It was bloody, and I was just an infant at the time. If we ever removed him from his position, or had him killed, or jailed or anything, the people would riot."

"His late Royal Majesty, the old King and your father, attempted that once," said Sebastian, who had long served under the Hyrulian monarchy. "It didn't go well. It was but fifteen years ago. Veruga was being… well; he tried to tell his Majesty how to run the kingdom. Going on and on, to find you a proper consort milady, and to at least find another wife to birth a male heir. But he wouldn't have anything to do with it. He attempted to jail him for about a month for it, and the people… to put it simply, did not take it well. He is a national hero, and although the king tried to explain in vain, they wouldn't have it."

"So, we can do nothing about him," Zelda shook her head. "But back to business. Now I shall need to address the people on this matter, I will tell them I have sent Veruga as a vanguard to examine the sites first, then I will send the experts. It will hopefully go well with the messengers from the Hylian towns, but not so much from the Goron and Zora settlements."

"And what of the Gerudo?" asked one of the other cabinet members. "They have no love for him. In their eyes he is a murder, and royal sanction or not, they will not let him pass."

"I know it," said Zelda quietly. "And so does he, but I told him to examine each site, and come back in a month with information on each. What he will do, I do not know. But for his sake, it had better be with the extent of Hyrulian law, or I cannot keep him from the courts."

The cabinet members nodded. Veruga, though loved by the Hyrulian people, did not have much support on the cabinet.

Zelda's face lightened up a bit. "Well, if no one else has anything else to say, I must go speak to the people. Sebastian, inform the messengers of what has happened and tell them to assemble on the grounds. Meeting adjourned."


End file.
